Live Music

Live Music

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum hosts live music throughout the year, including its regular Songwriter Sessions and Musician Spotlights and stylistically varied performances in its 800-seat CMA Theater. The Museum's unparalleled collection of historically and culturally unique resources includes classic and current country music film and TV performances and more, ranging from the 1920s to the present.

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Live Music
  • Altan and Jerry Douglas • Celtic and Country Music Connections • 2024

    Masters of traditional Irish folk music Altan and world-renowned dobroist Jerry Douglas bring together their deep collective knowledge of Celtic musical traditions for an insightful conversation and powerful musical performance. This program, which took place in the museum’s Ford Theater, was rec...

  • Kelsey Waldon • Songwriter Session • 2024

    Recording artist and songwriter Kelsey Waldon performs songs she has written and recorded and shares the stories behind them as part of the Museum’s Songwriter Session series. This program was recorded on March 2, 2024, in support of the Museum’s exhibition “American Currents: State of the Music....

  • Mark Miller & Mac McAnally • Songwriter Session • 2024

  • Musician Spotlight • C. J. Lewandowski • 2024

    Mandolin player C. J. Lewandowski performs songs and shares stories from his career as part of the Museum’s weekly Musician Spotlight series. This program, recorded on March 3, 2024, was presented in support of the 2024 edition of the Museum’s exhibition “American Currents: State of the Music,” w...

  • Ashley Cooke • Songwriter Session • 2024

    Recording artist and songwriter Ashley Cooke performs songs she’s written and recorded and shares the stories behind them as part of the Museum’s Songwriter Session series. This program was recorded on March 23, 2024.

    Accompanied by guitarist Chauncey Arner, Cooke performs songs included on her ...

  • Gabe Lee • Songwriter Session • 2024

    Singer-songwriter Gabe Lee performs his original songs on acoustic guitar and piano. During the program, recorded on February 24, 2024, he discusses his experiences growing up in Nashville, telling stories, and making music.

    During the program, Lee performs “Rusty,” from his album The Hometown K...

  • Pat Alger and the Entrepreneur Latina Leaders of America Songwriters

    During this songwriter round, recorded on March 16, 2024, Marta Albarracin, Brenda Coulter, Marcela Pinilla Eicher, Rachel Rodriguez, and Rosa Rodriguez perform original songs with hit songwriter and mentor Pat Alger and share the stories behind them.

    In 2021, Alger became a mentor with the Tenn...

  • Interview and Performance: A Celebration of Merle Travis

    Deke Dickerson discusses his book “Sixteen Tons: The Merle Travis Story,” which paints a vivid and unvarnished portrait of the guitar innovator, hit songwriter, and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Joining him to share music and memories are master guitarists Tommy Emmanuel and Eddie Pen...

  • Where the Action Is • Americana Artists and Activism • 2023

    During this conversation and performance moderated by music journalist Jewly Hight, Americana artists Adeem the Artist, Mya Byrne, Autumn Nicholas, and Allison Russell perform and discuss how they use their platforms as songwriters and musical artists to affect change. This program was recorded o...

  • William Prince • Songwriter Session • 2023

    Hailing from Manitoba, Canada, singer-songwriter William Prince shares songs he’s written and the stories behind them during 2023’s AmericanaFest. His performance was recorded on September 23, 2023, and presented in partnership with the Americana Music Association.

    William Prince has released fo...

  • Hank’s 100th: A Concert in Celebration of Hank Williams, presented by Spotify

    In honor of influential country recording artist and songwriter Hank Williams and marking the 100th anniversary of his birth, “Hank’s 100th: A Concert in Celebration of Hank Williams” showcases a wide variety of country and Americana artists influenced by Williams’s music. The show’s cast include...

  • The Black Country Music Association and the Black Opry • 2023

    Black Opry founder Holly G and her co-director, Tanner Davenport, along with Frankie Staton—who led the Black Country Music Association from the mid-1990s into the early 2000s—discuss their organizations’ histories and impact, as well as their future goals for representation and expanding diversi...

  • Conversation with Rhiannon Giddens • 2023

    Grammy-winning singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens joins the Museum’s Patrick Huber to discuss her musical career, which often explores Black musicians’ contributions to country music and other American roots-music traditions. This event—a live conversation and performanc...

  • Patty Loveless • Interview and Performance • 2023

    Country Music Hall of Fame member-elect Patty Loveless sits down for an interview to discuss her decades-long music career, and she performs a few of her favorite songs. This live performance was recorded on August 26, 2023, and offered in support of the Museum’s exhibition “Patty Loveless: No Tr...

  • Songs of Eric Church • Luke Laird and Jeremy Spillman • 2023

    Songwriters Luke Laird and Jeremy Spillman share songs they have written with Eric Church and the stories behind them. This live performance was recorded on July 15, 2023, and offered in support of the exhibition “Eric Church: Country Heart, Restless Soul,” presented by Gibson.

    During the progr...

  • David Hood • Nashville Cats • 2023

    Renowned bassist David Hood shares stories from his life and career as part of the Museum's “Nashville Cats” series, which spotlights musicians who have made significant contributions to country music. This program was recorded on July 8, 2023.

    In this interview, led by the Museum’s Michael Gray...

  • CMT’s Next Women of Country • Conversation and Performance • 2023

    CMT executive Leslie Fram hosts this showcase and discussion featuring Kimberly Kelly, Catie Offerman, MaRynn Taylor, Kasey Tyndall, and Julie Williams, all involved in the media brand’s Next Women of Country franchise, which launched in 2013 and highlights up-and-coming country artists. This liv...

  • Country Proud • Conversation and Performance • 2023

    Country Proud is a country music–focused showcase series from RNBW, a collective of Nashville’s LGBTQ+ performers, songwriters, and musicians founded in 2016 with the goal of creating an inclusive space for all music lovers. During this program, Country Proud co-founders Emily and Jamie Dryburgh ...

  • Brent Mason • Nashville Cats • 2023

    Guitarist Brent Mason shares stories from his life and career as part of the Museum's Nashville Cats series, which spotlights musicians who have made significant contributions to country music. This program was recorded on May 20, 2023.

    In this interview, led by the Museum’s Michael McCall, Bren...

  • Interview and Performance: Dave Alvin • 2023

    Dave Alvin joins the Museum’s Michael McCall to discuss growing up in Downey, California; forming the acclaimed roots-rock band the Blasters with his brother Phil; embarking on a solo career to emphasize his songwriting; and playing a pivotal role in the roots-rock and punk-rock communities in Lo...

  • The Past, Present, and Future of Oh Boy Records • Conversation and Performance

    Oh Boy Records President Fiona Whelan Prine, Oh Boy Records Director of Operations Jody Whelan, current Oh Boy Records artist Emily Scott Robinson, and former Oh Boy Records artist R. B. Morris discuss the past, present, and future of the independent record label, founded by John Prine, his manag...

  • Sunny Sweeney • Songwriter Session, 2023

    Houston, Texas-born singer-songwriter and recording artist Sunny Sweeney, accompanied by Harley Husbands, performs songs she has written, shares the stories behind them, and takes questions from the audience. This program was recorded on March 11, 2023, and is presented in support of the Museum’s...

  • The Life and Music of Dick Curless • Conversation and Performance, 2023

    Award-winning author Peter Guralnick, who guest co-curated the Museum’s exhibition “Dick Curless: Hard Traveling Man From Maine” and wrote a lengthy profile on him for his 2020 book, “Looking to Get Lost: Adventures in Music and Writing,” joins the Museum’s Michael Gray to discuss Dick Curless’s ...

  • Miko Marks • Songwriter Session, 2023

    Singer-songwriter and recording artist Miko Marks, accompanied by Effie Zilch and Steve Wyreman, performs songs she has written and shares the stories behind them. This program was recorded on March 11, 2023, and is presented in support of the Museum’s 2023 edition of the exhibition “American Cur...